Our Team

Meet the team

Sergio Jiménez

— Co-founder

Sergio has a long trajectory in gamification and has worked with hundreds of companies and institutions to engage stakeholders and get results.

A regular speaker at events for entrepreneurs, colleges and companies, Sergio is seen as an opinion leader in his field and is often called upon by the press and media to talk about gamification, engagement and digital strategies.

José Carlos Cortizo

— Co-founder

Co-founder and CMO at BrainSINS

Expert on Gamification for eCommerce

Working on Gamification since 2010

I started using Gamification in 2008, when I released Wipley, a Social Network for videogamers. In 2010 I discovered Gamification as a concept and I started testing it to different application domains such as Education, Marketing, etc. Nowadays, I use Gamification at BrainSINS (my company), both to improve our online onboarding process and also to help our eCommerce customers to improve their sales.

Arturo Castelló

— Co-founder

Co-founder and CEO of PlayJugo

Expert in Gamification for the Enterprise

Working on Gamification since 2010

For the last decade I’ve been obsessed with the exponential growth of gaming in our culture and economy. I believe that Play will become the dominant way of human interaction within the following five years. I co-founded Jugo to bring the power of game design into everyday activities of organizations and individuals around the world. I’m also fortunate to be an international partner of DreamHack, the largest gaming and esports festival in the world, which gives me the opportunity to live on the cutting edge of the global gaming culture.

Victor Manrique

— Gamification World Meetups Manager

Co-founder & Game Designer at GSM labs

Gamification World Meetups Coordinator

Instructor of Iversity’s Gamification Design MOOC

I started playing video games when I was 7. Since then, I’ve played and analysed games such as Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Guild Wars, Team Fortress 2 or VainGlory, learning how engaging experiences are designed. Games are my passion, and working on how to extract the best of them to create a better world is my next level! Go Go Go!

Iñaki Huarte

— Gamification World Map & Awards Manager

Co-Founder and CEO of Ouiplay

Gamification World Map & Awards Co-founder and Coordinator

Gamification Desing Professor at Creanavarra

Work around technology, creativity and innovation since 2000. I’ve been through film, television, video games, virtual worlds. Now runnig ouiplay, the gamification studio working on current needs in education and business. I can produce my own mayonnaise and bread crumbs.

Isidro Rodrigo

— Gamification World Academy Manager

CEO at Dummymedia

Gamification Spain Meetups Co-founder

Coordinator of the 1st European Gamification Design MOOC at Iversity

I’ve been using games for learning and self-development processes since 2000, deconstructing their mechanics and applying them to address organizational challenges. I want to facilitate that everyone could learn how to highlight the playfulness that lies in all the things that surround us.

Iosu Recalde

— Gamification World Map & Awards Manager

Co-Founder of Ouiplay

Gamification lover

Co founder of ouiplay, a gamification studio where we change the reality of organizations towards a funnier enviroment, using the power of game mechanics. Now focus on Education and Human Resources but exploring new areas of use of Gamification. Life is a game so….Lets play!

Our Ambassadors All Around the World

Cristina Pages

— Gamification World Ambassador, Spain

GSM-Labs Co-founder

Collaborator in 1st European Gamification Design MOOC at Iversity

Marketing Manager

I believe in the power of games to transmit and comunicate more than ever before. Gamification opens new channels to get to our external and internal customers. We can sell more if we think about their needs. I am passionate about marketing but not so much as about communication, as I think it is the first step for our companies to do a good job. So I believe especially in gamification as a way to improve communication and internal work.

Melinda Jacobs

— Gamification World Ambassador, Netherlands

Founder & Managing Partner of Subatomic

Published Researcher in Gaming and Gamification

Working on applied Gamification projects since 2009

I started exploring gamification in 2008 during my rM.A. program. I looked at the ecommerce website woot.com and how its user experience design was creating behavior similar to that seen in games. Since then I’ve continued my research in gamification, and also worked with companies of all sizes to help them improve their user experiences. My UX design work includes Red Dot award winner “Speeljetoekomst.nu” for AEGON – an online platform that makes the workings of pensions easier to approach and digest.

Joanna Ioannidou

— Gamification World Ambassador, Netherlands

Managing Partner of Subatomic

Working with Gamification since 2011 as part of helping companies and organizations improve their user experiences.

Though I put my WoW addiction to rest in 2008, games still have a strong pull on me. Joining Melinda in working on User Experience solutions, I began working with gamification as a way of engaging audiences and invoking change in users with exciting projects like “Speeljetoekomst.nu.” In 2012 we started the Gamification Meetup Group (GMG) in Amsterdam wanting to spread the word about Gamification and give those working or interested in the field a space to freely share ideas.

Daniel Meusburger

— Gamification World Ambassador, Germany

Gamification ASG Lead at Accenture

Design Thinking Coach

Research in Gamification and Learning starting in 2011

Back in 2011 I took my first deep dive into gamification exploring its influence on mobile learning experiences. Having a strong passion for games I have been driven by the compelling thought of creating products and services which go beyond usability by fully engaging its users. Since 2013 I am helping large enterprises design and build playful engagement programs internally and externally at Accenture. My current mission is to combine Gamification with Design Thinking, leveraging this creative approach to create meaningful, human-centered concepts.

Sven Jürgens

— Gamification World Ambassador, Germany

German Gamification World Meetup Coordinator

Wrote Master’s Thesis about Gamification in HR

Digital enthusiast & Marketer

Games are engaging, fascinating and make a whole lot of fun. I think that games and game-design principles can really improve the way of how we are working and learning in schools and businesses today. During my studies I learned a lot about Behavioral Economics, Communication Psychology and I was also interested in Game Studies. After writing a Bachelor´s Thesis about In-Game-Advertising, the Gamification issue became the next thing I wanted to deal with and also wrote a Master´s Thesis about this topic. Together we organized the very first Gamification World Meetup in Germany to grow a community and share some great ideas.

Stefan Schedlberger

— Gamification World Ambassador, Germany

Former CEO of StuCon JE

Innovation Management at Greiner Packaging International

Co-organising German (Munich) Gamification Meet-up

While having a guest Speaker at our University I first got in touch with the term Gamification. After more detailed research on Youtube and the Internet in general I got more and more interested into this topic. As the CEO of StuCon JE I could use some techniques based on Gamification to motivate both, our Team Members as well as our clients, to participation. As part of the Innovation Management System, I could use tools of Gamification to facilitate the implementation of the change process.

Andrzej Marczewski

— Gamification World Ambassador, England

Developed the Gamification User Types Hexad

Authored Gamification A Simple Introduction

Capgemini’s UK gamification expert

Gamification and I met when I was blogging about Social Media. I had decided I needed to become a blogger for some reason. As I was researching stuff, I noticed an article about gamification and had a look. I had a long background in writing about games and had made a few in the past, I also worked as a learning technologist in early 2000 developing playful learning marterials – so it all made sense to me. I decided to dedicate my writing time to gamification after that. That was around 2011. Since then I have become a speaker on the topic, an advisor, guest lecturer and recently have been helping Capgemini use it with clients.

An Coppens

— Gamification World Ambassador, Scandinavia

I started with applying game elements as part of my career in learning and development and achieved great success as a business coach by holding my clients accountable with gamified tracking tools and other game based achievement elements. When I came across the term gamification a few years ago, it made perfect sense to me to venture into it full-time based on my experience in previous roles. Because of my previous links to learning a lot of my early day projects have been in e-learning, learning communities and HR, however recently I have been involved in sales enablement, innovation processes and business process efficiency improvements all through gamification. My clients span from government bodies, academic institutes to mutlinationals and charitable causes and occasionally start-ups.

Jakob Johansson

— Gamification World Ambassador, Scandinavia

CEO Gleechi

Elearning development at MTG

Gaming enthusiast

I discovered the power of learning through games at a young age, thanks to MMORPG I picked up on new languages and management skills. As a manager I started applying gaming elements to motivate and help colleagues develop. The first time I got properly introduced to Gamification was when I started building elearning courses for new colleagues at my office to make the training more effective and interesting, and from there I started building a real interest on the topic. I am currently CEO of tech startup Gleechi, we help developers within games and virtual reality application to animate hands that can move and interact realistically. I see huge potential in applying our technology within gamification by enabling people to use realistic hands to interact within serious games, virtual training and much else, not only by making the games more fun and intuitive but also by making the experience truly immersive.

Pete Jenkins

— Gamification World Ambassador, England

Founder – GAMIFICATION+ LTD

Entrepreneur in Residence – Brighton Business School, University of Brighton

Chair – International Gamification Confederation (GamFed)

Researcher in Gamification in Human Resources – Centre for Research on Management and Employment (CROME)

I spent years working with business software, particularly CRM systems and got interested in gamification for two reasons. Firstly, from a personal point of view I craved a business system that was more game like (if it could work like the game Civilization even better) in that it should give me feedback about how well I was doing and guide me into mastering my business. Secondly, I got fed up with watching customers fail to adopt the systems we were supplying, often due to users being overwhelmed by the seeming complexity and range of features and I saw huge potential in how games use onboarding to get players started successfully on their journey. My company swiftly became the first UK partner for CRM.me, a CRM built from the ground up to take advantage of gamification techniques to encourage user adoption of the system. I am passionate about using gamification to make all aspects of business more engaging, and as well as consulting on gamification strategies I have become Chair of GamFed (the international gamification confederation) where we aim to support best practices in the gamification industry and I lecture on gamification for business in a number of courses at the University of Brighton, from undergraduate through to postgraduate level.

With the help of

Guillermo Castilla

— Gamification World Academy

Author and presenter for the first (and biggest) MOOC on videogame design and gamification in Spanish

Head researcher for a research and development team in UEM

Applying and researching on gamification in education since 2012

I was born in the early 80’s so game design and videogames have developed with me from the crib to my classroom where I struggle to make subjects like math for engineering more compelling and engaging. I started designing games as a hobby and at some point decided that I knew enough to start teaching design form an academic standpoint. I scripted and recorded a MOOC on videogame design and gamification and now I run a dedicated research and development group on gamification in my university.

Manuel Fernández-Utrilla

— Gamification World Academy

Director of Center of Excellence for Research

Co-Director of “Cátedra de Gamificación” in Universidad Europea

Applying and researching on gamification in industrial processes since 2010

International PhD by IE Business School/Universidad Europea. A broad international experience with excellent negotiation skills, analysis and management. Gamification has been an excellent tool for me in team management. Multicultural aspects of gamification have always meant a big challenge which all managers must face up. In my case, experience in managing teams for over 12 years throughout the EMEA region and the United States of America, helps me to build an important set of tips around the application of gamification in complex industrial processes.

Flavio Escribano

— Gamification World Map

Research manager in GeCon.es in the field of Gamification and Technology

Founded ARSGAMES in 2006, a collective research group whose focus is on Games Studies and Game Art research

He is also professor and invited speaker in different University Masters’ degrees, Seminars and Workshops in collaboration with some organization as follow European University of Madrid, Universidad Internacional de Andalucía, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, etc. He collaborates with numerous companies, institutions and research labs: European Commision, DIAGEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, AMAZE (Berlin), Instituto Cervantes (Spain), MediaLab-Prado (Madrid), Intermediae-Matadero (Madrid), Zemos98 (Seville).

His research interests span gamification, videogames, education and training, social inclusion, art and creativity.

He is in love of playing turn-based videogames about making things grow up or civilize the wilderness, even when he also recognize the finest beauty of indie games as Hundreds, Edge, FTL… And the weird both gameplay and soundtrack of Sword & Sworcery game.

Carlos González Tardón

— Gamification World Map

Doctoral Thesis: Video Games and Gamification for Social Transformation

Ph.D Degree of Leisure and Human Development at the University of Deusto. Degree in Psychology from the University of Barcelona.

In 2007 he founded People & VIDEOGAMES to make projects based on video games and gamification for public and private institutions and companies.

University professor at U –tad (U. Camilo José Cela) and Tecnocampus (U. Pompeu Fabra), teaching about video games and gamification. Co-Founder of Gamiversity #Gamification #University Innovative Education Project. He also has made more than two hundred conferences, master classes and workshops around the world